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Pharmac Seeks Feedback To Fund Medicines For Liver And Ovarian Cancer
Pharmac | Te Pātaka Whaioranga is consulting on a proposal to fund bevacizumab (branded as Vegzelma) as a cancer medicine for more New Zealanders.
In September, Pharmac started a competitive procurement process to ask suppliers to bid to supply the main funded brand of bevacizumab and to see if access could be widened so more people could benefit from the medicine.
Bevacizumab is currently used in hospitals for a condition affecting the throat, called respiratory papillomatosis, as well as for eye conditions.
Dr David Hughes, Pharmac’s Chief Medical Officer, is pleased Pharmac can consider widening access to bevacizumab for people with liver cancer that cannot be removed by surgery, and for advanced ovarian cancer.
The proposal also includes widening access to another medicine, atezolizumab (branded as Tecentriq), which is used with bevacizumab for liver cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.
If approved, these medicines would become available from 1 March 2025 and benefit about 140 people in the first year of funding.
Hughes says, “Now that we have received bids from suppliers that could work within our budget, we want to know what people think about funding one main brand of bevacizumab for cancers and respiratory papillomatosis.
“We have received clinical advice from specialists in New Zealand and overseas on whether people with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis could use a different brand than they’re currenting using. They told us any brand would provide the same health benefits that they’re receiving with their current medicine."
People with ocular conditions would be eligible for any brand of bevacizumab chosen with their health care professional to meet their health needs.
The consultation is open until 6 January 2025. People can provide feedback through Pharmac’s website.
The Government provided additional funding to Pharmac in June 2024 to fund new medicines and to widen access to medicines that are already funded. The funding boost covers medicines for both cancer and non-cancer health conditions.
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